For Blood or For Love
by Happy Cows Mooo
Summary: Chapter 1 - Lucy reflects on the joys of travel, and meets a new friend. More chapters will be added. Please review : )


This is my first Smallville fic. Any inaccuracies stem from the fact that I've never visited Europe, even though I really, really, want to see it. I'm not exactly sure what direction the story is going to take, but I'll try to update regularly.

**Chapter 1: Meteors Are Better Than Corn?**

Lucy sat quietly at her small plastic table. The pizzeria she was sitting by would make her move if she didn't order soon, but she was having too much fun to care. The large airport probably had dozens of other mini-restaurants, all with an equally bad quality of food. She would have expected better dining places, but even a city like Paris had its own assortment of cheap diners. Airport food, while edible, was never enjoyable in any country.

The teenage boy Lucy was observing had to be a pickpocket. He was alert, but cautious, and had the subtle, harmless air of an expert thief. She watched as he went after a tall, dark-haired girl. Her purse was slung over her shoulder, presenting an easy target. The boy sneaked up behind her, zipped open the purse, and was in the process of removing her wallet when she whirled around. The thief skipped backward, and the girl began shouting at him in French. He made his escape by running toward the escalators, avoiding the curses and glares of other travelers. Eventually, however, he doubled back and walked over to the pizzeria.

"There goes your plan to pay for a round-trip ticket," Lucy said sarcastically.

"I don't know," he said casually, "I made some good money off of other sightseers. If I have a look around this afternoon and nick a few more wallets, I just might be flying with you."

"How much did you get?" she asked, surprised.

"Oh, probably about 700 Euros, all told."

Lucy laughed. "Must be some rich tourists this time of year."

"What can I say? I'm an expert."

"Well, Mario, I'd love to stay and talk, but my flight's actually boarding in about 30 minutes."

He smiled. "Fine, then. Don't help your old school friend. I see how you are." After Lucy got up and left, he took out several purses and wallets and began to count money.

When Lucy had gotten a letter at school asking her to come back to the U.S., she was more upset than relieved. She couldn't believe that Lois would want to see her after her last escapade at Smallville, but she received an executive order from the General, a.k.a. Dad, to meet her sister in Kansas _now_. She had reluctantly arranged for a flight to Metropolis, and while hauling her carry-on to the plane behind a couple of screaming kids, she realized that it was the last place she wanted to be. _At least I get to ride in first class_, she thought dejectedly. After battling her luggage for ten minutes, she ceded to its right not to be crammed into an overhead storage bin. She chose the window seat in her assigned row; she had no idea who was sitting next to her. "It'll probably be some old fat guy who'll fall asleep and drool on me," she muttered.

A few minutes later, another girl a little younger than Lucy entered the first class section. After noting the designation on her ticket, she headed over to Lucy's row. She too attempted to force her tote bag into the overhead compartment, and met with about as much success. Listening to her curses, Lucy heard mainly French, although she thought she heard Spanish, German, and possibly Mandarin as well. All in all, an impressive collection of foul language. After a minute, Lucy recognized the girl as Mario's attempted prey. She saw Lucy staring, blushed, and mumbled something, this time entirely in French.

"I'm sorry?" Lucy said, a little too loudly.

"I wonder why the bins are so small," the dark-haired girl said, this time in English.

"They want to enforce a maximum size for carry-ons. I guess they're afraid people will stop buying airline tickets and start trying to sneak on board in duffel bags." Lucy smiled hesitantly, and the other girl said, "Good day. My name is Maia. May I sit here?" she asked, gesturing to the empty seat next to Lucy.

"Sure," Lucy said. "What brings you to the states?"

"Oh, I wanted to travel, I suppose."

"Ever been to New York?"

"No, I have never been to New York. However, I hope I shall be able to spend some time there."

_She must have been taught English very well_, Lucy thought_. Her accent sounds natural, and her grammar is almost perfect too_. Out loud, she said, "Then you're not staying in New York?"

"To be honest, I don't know where I am going. I was planning to simply roam around for a while. Where will you go after the flight?"

_Now there's what I'd like to be doing. Just roaming around_. "I'm visiting relatives in Kansas." On a whim, she added, "You could come too, if you wanted to."

"I don't know..." Maia trailed off, suddenly sounding hesitant.

"Oh, I'm sure you could have the time of your life in Smallville. Not boring in any way."

"Smallville? That is the actual name of the town? You don't like it?"

"It's just like it sounds... boring and kinda insignificant. Before the meteors, it was the corn capital of the world."

Maia looked more interested now. "Before the meteors?"

"Yeah. Meteors struck there about fourteen years ago. Ever since then, it's been the 'meteor capital of the world.' Still it's better than having to find a way to brag about corn."

Maia smiled, for the first time. "Sure - I would like to see... Smallville." She turned to look across the aisle. After a few seconds' pause, she turned back again and asked, "Are meteors better than corn?"

Lucy blinked. "Well, they're more interesting."


End file.
